Look at Me
by WickedlyAwesomeMe
Summary: "Why are you looking at the wrong places? Look at me. I'm just right here." The promised sequel of "Precious Day" but can stand alone without reading the prequel.


**Disclaimer: If I were JK Rowling, why would I waste time making up Dramione fan fictions when I can actually erase the whole Ron/Hermione love story in the series and change it into Draco/Hermione romance? **

**A/N: I'm actually back from vacation, can you believe it? Yes, yes, I'm alive and not swimming with jellyfishes and other sea creatures. **

**Anyway, so here's the promised sequel of 'Precious Day'. And this time, it's Hermione's turn to celebrate her birthday. I actually did this in our province while on vacation. I was surprised (but genuinely pleased) to know that a computer's installed there already. Sadly, the internet was too slow I can't even sign-in and such.**

**Sigh, whatever, enough of my vacation woes. At least I'm here already. Oh, by the way, the plot's not entirely mine. I also got the idea from "You're Beautiful", where "Precious Day" was also based on.**

**So, just read this awfully long one-shot. Ignore my grammatical errors, okay? You know me, I still have to fix my grammar and blah. Speaking of which, I have a very IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE at the end of the story.**

**So, yeah, enjoy!**

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**Title: **Look at Me**  
Author: **2booklover4**  
Language: **English**  
Form: **One-Shot**  
Genre: **Romance/Humor**  
Rating: **T, just to be safe**  
Warning/s: **Mild cussing, mostly from the blond, I guess**  
Ship: **Draco/Hermione**  
Summary: **"Why are you looking at the wrong places? Look at me. I'm just right here." It's Hermione's birthday and her best friend would do everything just to make her happy. Sequel to "Precious Day" but can stand alone without reading the other one. :D

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Look at Me

**

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**

"Ah, without you in my life, my day will not be complete," Draco announced, casting a fond look at his steaming mug of coffee. He sniffed, sighed, and then drank a few contents from it.

"Now, now, Draco," was Hermione's reprimanding reply. "Stop using that flirting tone of yours to that poor steaming mug of coffee. I am sure that the last thing you want it to do is to swoon and faint."

Draco had an amused look on his face. "Jealous, Granger?" he asked, mocking. Hermione looked affronted. "Don't worry, without you in my life, my day will not be complete, too." He flashed his infamous Malfoy smirk and Hermione just rolled her eyes, disgusted.

Draco Malfoy, Head of the Malfoy Enterprises, and Hermione Granger, Head Healer of St. Mungo's, were both found in a Muggle café, which was their usual meeting place.

The two had been friends ever since the summer of their sixth year after Draco ran away from home and sought refuge in Grimmauld Place, the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. After that summer, the two were _inseparable_.

Harry and Ron firmly believed Malfoy had hexed _their _Hermione to make her think he was changed and he was not the same ol' Draco Malfoy anymore. For a few weeks, they had done everything to separate the two. But Draco and Hermione were proving to be too sly for them to handle. And so, they had waved the white flag in defeat and just watched from afar as their own Hermione fraternized around the smarmy Ferret-Boy.

Mrs. Weasley grew worried for the brunette, even telling her some useful advices if the Malfoy heir had indicated or showed _suspicious _acts. As much as she found Draco sweet and polite some times (_sweeter _and _politer _than her own son), he was still a _Malfoy_. And that was enough for the Weasley matron to grow apprehensive for the welfare of Hermione.

Headmaster Dumbledore, on the other hand, looked _greatly _pleased. Every time he saw Hermione with Draco, he felt at ease. The blond had undergone a lot of hardships in his life… even _greater _than anybody (except Harry Potter, of course). At a very young age, he was taught of a lot of wrong ideas by his _so-called _parents, ruining his whole life. It would do him good if he was exposed to people he once believed he should hate. It would make him realize that he had hated the wrong kinds of people in his whole life.

And so, sixth year passed, and then their seventh year came. On their graduation day, Voldemort found it as a perfect time to attack Hogwarts and declare the start of the Second War.

The Light Side fought at their hardest, their minds set on the fact that if they had won this war, the peace would be restored.

The Dark Side equally fought hard, their minds set on the fact that if they had won this war, the purity of the Wizarding World would be restored.

The Golden Trio fought side by side, a tinge of remorse visible on their faces as they used the Unforgivables to their enemies. But their remorse would disappear almost immediately as a new person in their Side died at the hands of the supporter of Voldemort.

Finally, Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort faced. The whole battlefield fell into tensed silence, as they waited with bated breath to see the prophecy unraveling in front of their eyes.

The Light Side celebrated with a gleeful shout once Voldemort lay on the bloodied battlefield, immobile. _Dead_. They had proclaimed Harry Potter as their hero. And Harry? He was just thankful that everything was well already.

The other Death Eaters were sent into Azkaban; some instantly received the Dementor's Kiss.

Draco assumed the position as the Head of the Malfoy Enterprises, since he killed his own parents with remorse… remorse because he was not able to give them a chance to change, just like he did. But he knew deep inside his heart that if ever his parents were still alive, it would be too late for them to change.

Hermione, after seeing the horrors of the war, decided to be a Healer to save lives. And it turned out she was doing extremely well because just after a year, she was promoted to the position of Head Healer of St. Mungo's.

So far, their lives had been great. The peace of the Wizarding World was restored. Everything was back to normal.

"Hey," Draco suddenly said, cutting Hermione off her musings. He was snapping his fingers in front of her eyes, an amused smile on his face. "Earth to Hermione Granger."

Hermione, with a mild scowl, swatted his hands away. "Stop it," she mumbled, taking a sip from her own mug of steaming coffee.

Draco released a good-natured laugh and stood up from his seat, just across from Hermione, to sit directly beside her. "Are you all right? You seemed to be… in your own world these past few minutes."

"Oh, I'm fine," was Hermione's reply, sighing as she placed her chin on her palm and looked at Draco, a thoughtful look on her face. She had noticed some distinctive difference from the blond. If there was one word she could describe him, 'exhausted' would always pop up first. "I think I'm the one who's supposed to be asking that question to you, Draco. Are you all right? You seemed… tired."

He waved his hand, as if dismissing her question, and shrugged. "Oh, I'm fine," he said, mimicking her answer. "There are a lot of things happening in the office. That's all. No need to be such a worrier, Granger."

Draco then shifted on his seat so his body would be directly facing his best friend. "Anyway, I just remembered I have to ask you something of extreme importance today," he said, widening his eyes for a dramatic effect.

Hermione, after knowing him for years, knew he would be probably messing up with her.

"What do you want for your birthday?" he finally asked, grinning.

The brunette couldn't help but roll her eyes, though, with a smile. She knew it. "My birthday?"

"Oh, don't you dare tell me you forgot that your birthday is next week already," he said.

Hermione grinned. "Okay, I won't tell you I forgot that my birthday is next week already," she answered back. After a pointed look from him, she frowned. "Well, I can't help forgetting it! My number of patients tripled and most of them have diseases that are hard to cure. You can't blame me for focusing more on other people than myself."

Draco sighed and shook his head. "Seriously, Granger, you should get a life," he reprimanded. "Get a boyfriend! What's his name? Uh… yes! Tristan Hawk. You have a Healer named Tristan Hawk, right?"

"What about him?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. She had a feeling where their conversation would go.

"Well, that bloke had been pining you for _years_!" he said, absentmindedly scratching his chin. "Why don't you relieve the poor man's misery and take him out for a date?"

Hermione made a disgruntled sound and scowled. "How many times do I have to tell you that Tristan is just a _friend_? He's a nice guy, all right. And he has manners way _better _than yours." She smirked upon seeing his offended look. "But, I'll always see him as a friend. Nothing more."

"See!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger on her. "That's the reason why you never get a boyfriend. You drive them away before you can actually know the real them. I pity all those heartbroken guys. I can't believe my best friend is a cruel, _cruel _girl."

The brunette rolled her eyes because of his melodrama. "And those words came out from a guy with a reputation."

"What reputation?" he asked, succeeding in looking innocent with a charming smile on his face.

"Oh, come on, you know that those looks don't work on me," she said, smirking as his smile disappeared. "And don't look innocent, mister; it doesn't suit you. You perfectly know what I'm talking about."

Draco shrugged nonchalantly, saying, "Well, I'm a guy and well, you're a girl. Things like that are different for both genders."

Hermione looked affronted. "Sexist," she spat, taking a sip from her neglected coffee. She made a face, noticing that it lost its warmth already. Her eyes then turned serious as she looked back at the blond beside her. "Speaking of which, what happened between you and Rachel?"

"Who?" he asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"I cannot believe you," she replied in disbelief. "Rachel West, Draco Malfoy's girlfriend?"

"Oh," he said in understanding. "Well, I dumped her."

Hermione pursed her lips, now looking stern. "Why don't I feel surprised anymore?" she asked herself aloud, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Now, you've official broken the heart of another poor girl."

"Well, I can't help it! She made me do it," he whined. "She's so possessive. Every time I'm around her, I feel so suffocated. And besides, you know that it won't last. You told me yourself on the day I introduced you to her."

The brunette sighed and wagged a finger. "When will you learn?"

"Once I find 'Miss Right'," he answered back, making quotation marks with his fingers. "At least I'm doing something to find her… unlike _others _there." He shot her a meaningful look, which Hermione chose to ignore.

"Prat," she said, though a fond look was seen on her face.

"Oh, I know," he said, ruffling Hermione's hair in affection. "But you still love me."

And she does, only in a _completely_ different way from Draco's meaning.

At first, she thought it was just a passing fancy. After all, she had been spending a lot of time with Draco (awfully a lot than with Harry and Ron) and she had gotten to know the real him. Not the Jerk-Draco. Not even the Playboy-Draco. Oh no. She fell in love with the real him… Idiot-Draco, she fondly coined.

Because the real him was way different than what he was showing to other people. Hermione had long discovered that he only showed his true self when he was with her, and that made her feel extremely special. And as years passed, she discovered that she only showed the real _real _her when she was around him.

But then, she brushed those feelings away. She had decided that their friendship was _too precious _to break. She would hate herself forever if her petty feelings drove him away from her.

She did try and often, she succeeded. But most of the time, the jealous her would show every time Draco introduced her to a new girl. It turned her into a possessive person and she hated herself for that.

Hermione rested her chin on her palm once again and continued to stare at him. The blond was quite oblivious with her attention, engrossed with his scrumptious cake.

Sometimes, she imagined if they were more than just friends. And in those times, Hermione found herself the happiest.

'_Why are you looking at the wrong places, Draco?' _she asked him in his mind. _'Look at me. I'm just right here.' _

Her eyes continued to watch him as he froze on his seat, the cake now forgotten. She watched as he turned his head, his mercurial eyes landing squarely on her face. She thought he looked… weird. His eyes were as wide as saucers and his mouth was ajar.

"What?" he breathlessly asked, his tone overflowing with astonishment.

And that was the time when Hermione realized she had said those words aloud.

She equally became surprised, mimicking Draco's face, and reprimanded herself for her stupidity.

She had forgotten that she had this horrible habit of saying things aloud unconsciously, even embarrassing ones. And as much as she wanted to turn back time to stop herself from saying her thoughts aloud, she couldn't.

It was _too late_.

And so, she did the only thing she could think of that time.

She _ran_; she never looked back.

And for a week, Draco was seen alone in that Muggle café.

**

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**

Hermione looked at her watch and slightly smiled. She still had three more hours to spend all by herself.

Today was her birthday and she knew that Harry and the others had fixed a "surprised" party for her. It was supposedly a 'surprise' but she figured that out almost immediately. She had known Harry Potter for a very long time. If he could save his life from Voldemort's clutches by being subtle, he would be probably six feet buried under the ground right now.

She allowed herself to chuckle at the thought of Harry. She felt thankful because they had found time to do a surprise party for her when they could be doing their jobs and such. But right now, she just wanted to be alone… heck, she did not want to celebrate her birthday at all. But for the sake of her friends' efforts, she would drag her butt to Harry's place and pretend to be surprised when they clicked the lights open and greet her a very cheerful 'Happy Birthday'.

Now, she was glad she was alone, roaming around Muggle London. Her birthday party was looming and she had to brace herself to face _him_.

Oh Merlin, she was so _stupid_. She had mentally beaten herself once she got home from the Muggle café a week ago. After that, she did not show up in that café. She felt guilty for not telling Draco or just owling him a letter but she was _too _embarrassed to do it. And so, to console her wounded ego, she did what she always do when she was distressed – work. She distracted herself for the whole week by being more focused in her work. It was effective at first, until today, because she realized she had to face _him _in her birthday party. He was, after all, one of her best friends and it would be suspicious if he did not show up at all.

"Oh, you'll have a _great _birthday, Hermione Granger. I can just feel it," she told herself, sarcasm oozing out from the tone of her voice.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang. She had been possessing one after graduation. Harry, Draco, and her other close friends had one, too. It was necessary for all of them, especially when they were too busy to send a letter via owl.

Her phone continued to ring and she hastily fished it out from her pocket. She pressed the answer button without looking at name of the caller and then answered with a cheerful, "Hello?"

"_Oh finally, you've answered!" _

Hermione froze. On the other line was Draco and he sounded genuinely relieved when she finally answered her phone. He had been calling her and texting her for a while but she just ignored all of them. For a week, she actually looked at her phone with fear in her eyes.

"_Hey Granger, you still there?" _

Panic rose at the pit of her stomach. Her thumb was itching to press the 'end' button and she just let it hover, undecided.

"_Don't you dare hung up on me, Hermione Granger," _was his frustrated reply. _"If you do, I am going to apparate directly in front of you and let the Muggles witness my materialization. If the Ministry of Magic heard of this, I am putting the blame on you." _

Hermione sighed, making sure that Draco had heard it loud and clear, before droning an annoyed, "What do you want?"

"_Oh, come on. It's your birthday! I called you last midnight! You are __**so **__going to pay for not answering my call to be the first person to greet you a 'Happy Birthday'! Remember that book you wanted to buy? I'm just about to buy it and give it to you but you just blew your chance, Granger. You hear me? You just…" _

"Draco," she butted in, this time voicing out her exhaustion, "what do you want?"

She heard him sigh from the other line. _"Are you doing something?" _he asked.

"Nothing," she truthfully said. "Just… walking around Muggle London."

"_Have you eaten?" _he asked. _"I know this restaurant in Muggle London and I am persuading you to try their food. You are not going to regret it." _

Hermione hadn't eaten lunch yet and she couldn't deny her stomach's pleadings anymore. She sighed once again. "All right? Where is it?"

"_That's a good girl," _was his cheerful reply. _"I'll give you the directions, okay." _

"Where are you, anyway?" she asked, looking around.

"_Finishing some important business," _he replied. _"Now, make haste. I am sure you're starving." _

**

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**

"Here's your order, miss," a waitress suddenly said, placing platters containing most of Hermione's favorite food.

The brunette, on the other hand, looked at her in surprise. "But… I haven't ordered yet. And…" She eyed the food, mentally calculating their price. "I… I don't have enough money to pay for them. I'm sorry."

The waitress had this sly smirk on her face Hermione couldn't help but narrow her eyes in suspicion. "Oh, don't worry, miss. Today's a special day in our restaurant. We really serve some of our best dishes to our customers. Now, if you'll excuse me. Just call my attention when you need something, miss." And with that, she trudged towards another table.

Hermione looked genuinely shock right now as she stared back at the food served on her table. But, thinking about the kids suffering in Africa because of hunger, she made a decision to finish as much as she could.

Her mind then thought of possible people who might be doing this to her. What the waitress said was absolutely a lie. She was not that stupid to know that there was something going on.

And then, she finally pinpointed the culprit.

Draco Malfoy.

**

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**

A few tables away from Hermione sat an _obviously _suspicious blond, disguised by a fedora hat and thin-framed glasses. He had this goofy smile on his faces as he called the waitress for attention.

She came bustling to his side, a mischievous smile on her face. "It's all right now, sir. She bought my lie," was her reassuring announcement.

"Good, good," he answered back. "Put those in my tab, will you?"

"Yes, sir," she said before marching off to the nearby table.

"Giving free dishes to customers?" he asked himself. "Oh, I am so clever."

**

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**

"Oh, I'm so full," Hermione announced, massaging her stomach. "Surprisingly, Malfoy's not messing around me. That restaurant really served delicious food."

Her phone once again rang and without any hesitation, she pulled it out from her pocket and answered the call.

"_Granger?" _

"What are you playing at, Malfoy?" she immediately demanded.

"_I don't know what you are talking about," _he innocently replied.

"I told you not to act innocent to me, Malfoy. It doesn't suit you," she retorted back. She dodged a few rowdy kids before continuing her small journey.

On the other line, she heard Draco laugh. _"Are you done eating now?" _he asked, changing the subject. Hermione, after some contemplation, decided not to make a big deal out of it. _"I've just finished my lunch and it was delicious. Merlin, my employees are driving me mad already." _

"Is there something you want?" Hermione asked, frowning. "You sure sound busy. I'm sure some of them are waiting for their _boss _to resume the meeting." She still mocked him when the subject of him as the Head of Malfoy Enterprises came up. She could not imagine that the flirty and idiotic Draco Malfoy was the head of the most successful business in the whole Wizarding World. But judging from the fact that their stocks had been skyrocketing as more years passed by, she finally accepted that there was a serious side to her best friend.

"_My best friend always comes first before anything else, Granger. I think you should know that by now," _was his simple reply, which made Hermione sigh in exhaustion.

"I'm hanging up - ."

"_No, wait!" _he said, stopping her from pressing the 'end' button. _"Have you eaten dessert? I know this delicious ice cream parlor somewhere in Muggle London…" _

"I'm fine," she said. "Go back to your bloody meeting and talk about things you're supposed to talk about."

"_Hermione, I'm the __**boss**__," _he stated clearly. _"If they defy my ideas and actions, then they're fired." _

"Right," Hermione said. "I forgot that you're 'Almighty' Draco Malfoy and no one defies your orders. Except me, of course."

"_Too true. Too true," _he said with a chuckle. _"Now, will you go to that ice cream parlor or not?"_

"Oh, what the heck," she said in defeat, looking around in search of the ice cream parlor. "Where is it?"

**

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**

"Miss?"

Hermione looked up from the menu. She just came inside the ice cream parlor her best friend directed and had chosen a comfortable seat beside the window. "Yes?"

"I just want to inform you that you've won our shop's promo," the waiter said, a huge smile on his face. "You are the lucky 100th customer of the day and for your prize, you will be able to taste some of our bestsellers. Congratulations."

"Ah," she said, surprised beyond imagination. "Um… okay."

The waiter then gave her a small bow before returning back to the kitchen, only to be back minutes after with the promised prize for her.

He laid at least six big bowls of their bestseller ice cream on her table. "If you need me, miss, just call for my attention," he said. And then, left once again.

Hermione absentmindedly scratched her chin, clutching the spoon to start tasting her so-called 'prize'. Of course, she did not believe what the waiter had told her. Only a stupid person would buy that _almost _believable lie. But for now, she let that thought slip out of her mind and ate her ice cream happily.

**

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**

A few tables away from Hermione sat the disguised blond, a triumphant smile on his face. His chin was resting on his palm as he contentedly watched his best friend from afar, marveling at the sight of her delighted face every time she tasted a different kind of flavored ice cream on her table.

"Excuse me," he called out to his apprentice.

The waiter came bustling towards him, shooting some furtive glances towards the table of the brunette. "I've given them to her, sir," he said. "I guess she bought the lie."

"Good, good," he said. "Now, here's your tip." He fished out some wad of money from the pocket of his pocket and gave it to the grateful waiter.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

"Now, off you go. We can't make her suspicious now, can we?"

"Of course, sir." And with that, the waiter went back to the kitchen.

**

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**

"When will you stop messing around with me, Malfoy?" she demanded once she answered another call from him. She had just finished her ice creams, or tried to (since they were awfully large for her stomach to handle), and was once again walking on the streets of Muggle London. She would occasional stop to view some displayed merchandises and such.

"_I do not know what you are talking about, Hermione," _he said, truth heard at the tone of his voice. _"I'm just right here in this boring meeting room, listening to the idiocy of my employees." _

"Draco, as their boss, you need to be all ears to their suggestions," she retorted back. "Just because you're the boss of the most successful company doesn't mean you can be egotistical in front of them. Trust me; one day, you'll be surprised if some of your employee rebelled against you… oh, wait! I forgot one important detail. You are Draco Malfoy. Of course being _egotistical _is in your nature. My bad."

"_Har har, Granger," _he spat, voicing out his irritation. _"I'll let that pass since it's your birthday." _

Hermione rolled her eyes and she had a feeling Draco knew she did that. She allowed a smile to flit her face before frowning once again. "Is there something you want?"

"_Oh right," _he replied back. _"Potter told me to tell you that this meeting-in-his-house-that-is-obviously-your-birthday-party was moved to the Leaky Cauldron. Oh, and it's a formal party so you need to buy a new dress. I know a good dress shop in Muggle London." _

The brunette softly chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. "Potter's gone a bit too far," she replied. Sometimes, when she was mad at Harry, she called him 'Potter'. Harry was so surprised the first time she called him by his last name; she couldn't keep angry with him.

'_You've been awfully spending a lot of time with Malfoy, Hermione,' _he accused her.

"_Yeah, that bastard," _Draco replied, cutting her off from her musings. _"I figured out that you guessed that it will be your birthday party. If he could save his life from Voldie's clutches by being subtle, he would probably be buried six feet from the ground right now." _

"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed, humored. "Thank goodness it was not."

"_Yeah," _he answered. _"Now, will you go to this dress shop? I have to hang up now." _

**

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**

"Excuse me, miss?" a woman said, appearing beside the confused brunette. Hermione assumed she was an employee of the Muggle shop. "Do you need my help?"

"Oh… um…" She trailed off, her eyes landing on a specific rack in the shop. Her eyes widened as she slowly approached the green dress hanging among other casual clothes, seemingly out-of-place. She fingered the dress, smiling at its smoothness, and knew it was love at first sight.

Her eyes landed back on the lady and politely asked, "Where is your fitting room?" and she was soon whisked away by an eager employee, the green dress clutched firmly yet gently by her right hand.

**

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**

Draco smiled, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible by feigning interest on the mannequins of the store. He knew it was the right decision to put that green dress around the other clothes to make it stand out. As soon as he saw the dress, he knew Hermione would look gorgeous on it.

"Miss, I need some help," he heard her say and when he looked at her, his jaw instantly dropped. He always knew that his best friend was pretty. The mere fact that Tristan Hawk, the _hottest _Healer of St. Mungo's (according to Ginny), had a thing on her was enough proof of the brunette's beauty.

And now, seeing her wearing the green dress he personally picked for her… he was astonished beyond comprehension.

He couldn't wait to see her in her birthday party.

**

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**

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"Our shop is having a sale, Miss," the employer said, giving her a box containing the dress she picked.

"A sale," she said, looking around, eyebrows raised. "Right."

She fished out a wad of money inside her pocket, enough to pay for the 'price' of the dress on 'sale'. If the shop was on sale, then they should be displaying posters and such.

'_Draco,' _she thought, shaking her head, still in disbelief.

But she just shrugged it off and paid the cashier. If they were insisting that the dress was cheaper than its normal price, then so be it. She just wanted this dress and she would be lying if she said that she was not happy it was on 'sale'.

Hermione thanked the lady who helped her and walked out of the shop, box in hand.

As soon as she walked out of the door, her cell phone rang. Without any hesitation, she pulled it out from her pocket and pressed the 'answer' button.

"_Did you buy a dress already?" _was Draco's greeting as Hermione crossed the street.

"Yes," she carefully answered back. "The store was on _sale_ so I bought a cheaper dress."

"_On sale? Wow, this must be your lucky day, Granger," _he answered back, feigning surprise.

Hermione frowned and stopped in the middle of a busy crowd. "Come on, Draco. I am _Hermione Granger _for a reason. I know that the _free _dishes, _free _ice creams, and _discounted _dress were all your doing."

"_And why do you say so?" _

His voice was devoid of any emotion and Hermione's frustration increased ten-fold. Sometimes, it was annoying when Draco masked his emotions in front of her. They were _best friends for years_, for goodness' sake!

"Draco!" was her exasperated sigh as she started to look around wildly, her frown deepening. "Stop messing around with me, okay? And I know that you are somewhere here in Muggle London." She spotted a blond hair among the crowd and almost approached him but when he turned around, he was not Draco. "I can feel your abnormally large ego, you know."

She expected him to retort a witty comeback and she was ready. But then, the next words he uttered caught her completely off guard.

"_Why are you looking at the wrong places, Hermione?" _

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She froze on the pavement, her phone still placed against her ear.

She was sure she looked like a half-wit and normally, she would have cared. But not now… not now when her stupid heart was pounding loudly against her ribcage. She wouldn't be surprise at all if her chest burst open and her heart fell on the ground with a loud thud.

"_Look at me." _

Her feet moved at their own accord and the next thing she knew, she was staring back at a not-so-inconspicuous Draco Malfoy, standing a few feet away from her. She would have normally laughed. Draco, wearing a fedora and glasses, was hilarious. But not now.

_Not now. _

"_I'm just right here." _

Her bottom lip started to quiver. She trapped it between her teeth to stop its quivering.

Draco… he was there. He was standing just there, unmasked and real. He looked embarrassed, she reckoned. And he soon masked it by placing a small smile on his face, overwhelming Hermione more.

They just stood there, staring and unmoving. The crowd surrounding them seemed oblivious of the fact that something extraordinary between two people was unraveling.

Their cell phones were still pressed against their ears and that seemed to snap Draco back to reality. _"I… I think it's time for you to hung up, throw your arms around me, and give me a really big hug." _He meant to sound it as humorous as he could, but it sounded more like a nervous mutter to Hermione.

She chuckled, despite of a tear that trickled down from her eyes. "You know that I'll beat you up for muttering those bloody lines that I uttered during a vulnerable moment, right?"

"_Oh, I know," _he uttered back, the infamous Malfoy smirk seen on his face. _"But that can wait, yeah? Now give me a big hug or I swear I'm going to _Imperio_ you." _

She laughed, this time pressing the 'end' button, before throwing herself into his arms, her own wrapped tightly around his neck. "Prat. Prat. Prat. Prat. _Prat_," she said again and again, burying her face at the crook of his neck.

"Oh, I know," he said, having a wave of déjà vu. He ruffled her hair affectionately before continuing, "But you still love me."

And this time, he meant it in a different way.

"Thank you," she whispered, pulling her face away from him.

Draco scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Took you long enough to admit it," he said. "I'm going to make you pay for ignoring my calls, Granger. I can't believe you just took off from the Muggle café after confessing your _undying _love for me. Wrong move, Hermione. Wrong move. You did not even wait for me to tell you what I truly feel. That was" –

Hermione, fed up with his ranting, gave him a kiss on the lips. He just stood stock still for a moment before responding back, pulling Hermione closer.

This blissful moment was put into an end when Draco's cell phone beeped. He pulled away with a scowl, already muttering some incantations under his breath. And when he looked at his phone, his scowl deepened. "Potter," he spat, completely pulling away from Hermione's hug.

He checked his new text message and scoffed. "Potter's asking me to take you to the Leaky Cauldron now," he said. "And he wanted me to reply as soon as possible."

He looked at the brunette, a sheepish look on his face. "Can you… text him back? I used up my entire load from trailing you around and calling you as soon as you leave a shop."

"Oh honestly," she commented with a shake of her head. She did what she was told and the next thing she knew, she was being whisked away by Draco to an empty alley to apparate to the Leaky Cauldron.

Throughout their small journey, Hermione couldn't help but to think her birthday today wasn't bad at all.

**

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**A/N: Hmm, I'm not really satisfied with the ending. But, oh well. Still review if you loved it, okay? :D**

**Anyway, as for my important announcement… I'm currently looking for a new BETA and I'm really, really desperate. I have a new story coming up and I'm done with the outline. SURPRISINGLY, I'm already typing the sixth chapter out of forty-one chapters of the story. And I SWEAR it will be less dramatic than '11 Things'. **

**So, please, please, please, please, I need a new Beta Reader. If anyone's interested, PM me or email me. :D**

**ANOTHER is that I need someone who knows Latin to translate these sentence for me, "SECRETS REVEALED". Two words, I'm only asking for two words. I REALLY, REALLY NEED YOUR HELP. See how desperate I am? I'm emphasizing each word by capitalizing them. GAH!**

**So, that's it for now. See you on Thursday or Friday for the next chapter of "Alphabet Love".  
**

**P.S. Oh, I'm going to post the next chapter of Alphabet Love on Thursday or Friday. I'm already done typing the next chapter but I still have to make some few revisions. So, that's it. :D**


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